


Immortal

by outerealm



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Genre: Gen, Immortality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 10:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2188716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outerealm/pseuds/outerealm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most people do not survive contact with the Infinity Stone. Those that do are "blessed" with near-eternal life. But in the end, this isn't so bad since the Guardians don't really have anyone except each other. Best of all, Groot now has companions who won't age and die.</p><p>Angsty or fluffy or both, anything works!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Immortal

**Author's Note:**

> http://guardian-kink.livejournal.com/1806.html?thread=373006#t373006

Rocket noticed it first.

Why wouldn’t he? He had always noted the passing of time keenly. How long did a creature of his species (raccoon, Peter called him a raccoon, how long did they have?) live for? It couldn’t be that long. The rule of thumb that was consistent across the galaxy was the smaller they were the quicker they died. And Rocket was small.

So when Rocket woke up and noted the year, his train of thought kinda derailed and crashed. Groot rustled in the corner of the room, a low rumble that couldn’t be heard, only felt, ran through the steel plating of the ship. Asking him if he was okay. “Y-Yeah, yeah. Groot?” Rocket paused, recognizing that Groot wouldn’t be able to answer him. Groot had troubles differentiating genders and faces, he wouldn’t pick up on something as subtle as growing old.

“I am Groot?”

“Never mind, fucking stupid question.” Rocket considered making a bomb that would blow a asteroid into a daisy or something sappy and sentimental because he wasn’t going to die. He was going to live and live longer then anyone who had laughed at him as a furry rodent.

Well, he didn’t know that part quite yet, but he was still alive, and he wasn’t so old that he was helpless. That was a pretty good sign. “I think I have something to tell the others.”

\------

It took roughly a interstellar month for the tests to confirm that yes, they were nigh immortal. Not completely- there was still the tiniest creep of aging, but for all intents and purposes they were immortal.

Drax broke three heads, and slaughtered half a outlaw band by the time they had caught up to him after the news broke. He was completely silent, but still deadly. Peter froze at the edge, as Gamora watched him storm among the blood and guts.

Groot rumbled softly, and Rocket patted his shoulder. “Fuck, didn’t think he’d take the news this badly.”

Drax ripped the spine out of a man, face as dark as a thunderstorm.

“Leave this to me.” Gamora murmured, and unsheathed her knife. Peter, Groot, and Rocket retreated a respectful distance away.

Gamora didn’t even have to say a word. The second she appeared in the battle, a lithe Goddess of Destruction, Drax broke. “Why? Why am I always doomed to never see them again?!”

She cut the throat of an approaching enemy, and said nothing. Drax breathed in, a ragged, sobbing sound. “How am I too live like this?! Never getting closer to my wife and daughter, knowing that time itself will not bring me closer to them?!”

There were so many things that she and the others could not replace no matter how hard they tried. They could not give Drax back his fatherhood, his wife, a life not of destruction and fighting but farming and love. Drax howled at the sky, twin blades sinking into the earth with nothing else too cut.

Gamora laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Drax.”

She wouldn’t know how it felt, not truly. Her parents had died when she was so little, and her new family had so quickly filled up the void. To imagine her new family being ripped away from her, and know she would not ever be able to join them again except to fall on the field of battle…

It was like a gaping hole had ripped itself in her heart. She bent next to his hunched, miserable figure. “I’m _sorry._ ”

Drax _sobbed_ , a wheezing, groaning sound that ripped from him like a wounded creature. Gamora cautiously placed her hand on his back, offering what little comfort she could. “Please. Please. Do not let this be true. Please. Let it be a lie. Let me be with my family once more.”

If Peter was here, he would know what to say. Gamora didn’t- she was not used to comforting. But she was willing to try. “I’m sorry, Drax.”

She wished it wasn’t so much of a lie. She was enjoying the thought of living forever with her new family. Even if it caused him temporary pain, and she could understand this pain, it was blinded in the thought that she would have him- have all of them- forever. “We are here for you, I promise.” Maybe one day Drax would find they were enough.

But for now, she let him mourn.

\-------

Peter propped his chin on his knees as Drax sobbed. “I wonder how far spread the effects are.”

The entire planet and everyone nearby the explosion was undergoing testing right now. Peter wasn’t certain whether or not he hoped others were affected. On one hand it would be kinda cool if it was only them that had been hit. On the other hand…

He had already seen his mother die. He didn’t want to watch his father figure (of sorts) to die. Not that Yondu would die of old age anyways. Or maybe he would. He had the skills to stay alive, and Kraglin wouldn’t let him die anyways. His second would nag him into staying alive. Peter knew that- he had seen it happen once.

Rocket snorted from atop Groot’s shoulder. “Probably only us, seeming how we’re the ones who touched the fucking stone in the first place.”

“Yeah, but still…” Peter trailed off. He wasn’t excited about immortality but at the same time he didn’t think it would be the worlds worst gift. He had heard that immortality was a heavy burden and all, but-

He already had just about everything he needed right here on this planet, within a two mile radius. His ship, his Walkman, his tapes, food- and the people. Besides, with immortality, in a couple hundred years he could maybe convince everyone else to stop cock blocking him!

“Drax ain’t too happy about this.” Peter acknowledged, “But he’ll come around.”

He had too afterall, Peter would employ every one of his wiles to keep his team together. Be it lying, begging, perhaps even brainwashing?

Rocket laughed, the absolute happiest of them all about being immortal. “That’s right! We don’t have to worry about much anymore. We got all the time in the world to find new stuff to do and see everything that we want. Right Groot?”

Groot, the most apathetic to this immortality other then the fact that his friends might live as long as him, rumbled happily. Rocket rubbed his paws together, cackling madly. And Rocket was right. They had all the time in the world. No need to rush past beautiful scenery (unless they or a planet was in danger) no need to mournfully bid goodbye to a planet with no expectation of ever returning. Peter could start any useless talent and never have to worry if he’d never get good, because all he had now was time.

They had the time to do whatever they wanted.

“Hey Rocket, what do you want to do, now that we’re immortal?” Drax was likely to sulk and be blue for months, so might as well start up the party now.

“Put myself on the waiting list for Gallaxiana.”

A gorgeous living planet, that severely limited the number of people allowed to visit to preserve its natural beauty. The waiting list, last time Peter had heard, was fifty years. There were no smugglers that could get through the atmosphere, nobody that the planet didn’t know that could walk on its surface. It was a paradise that none of them could ever plan on seeing in a natural lifespan. “I am Groot.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know you want to go too. So let’s go together. And after that, I’m going to start building a really big project!” Rocket was getting more and more excited, an eternity of things he could do without feeling the crunch of time pressing in on him.

Peter laughed as he watched Drax slowly rise from the Earth, Gamora supporting him.

They would be fine. Drax would come around eventually when the idea of friends became family. Until then, Peter was willing to wait, and hold him- hold them all- close so they couldn't run away.


End file.
